Firefighters Rescue Hamster Family

That’s right, we said hamster family. Not every emergency response team has the know how or tools to rescue a family of rodents. Luckily the Lacey Fire Department was fully equipped!

According to Seattle ABC affiliate KOMO, when Lacey, Washington, firefighters responded to a fire on Sept. 26 they quickly started distinguishing the flames. As they made their way through the trailer they found a family of five hamsters and carried their cage to safety. The critters, Oreo and Madonna and their three babies, needed oxygen. The firefighters quickly brought out their pet emergency first-aid equipment and got to work. The hamsters were so small that the firefighters had to deliver the oxygen to them right out of the tube, without any kind of face mask attachment. All but one of the hamsters were saved.

The Lacey Fire Department had recently undergone training with a local veterinarian crew to learn about pet rescue. They also carried a copy of the “Pet Emergency Pocket Guide” which covers first aid, disaster and evacuation, pregnancy and birth, and more health-related issues that a firefighter might encounter.

That’s a pretty handy fire department, don’t you think? Have you ever saved your pet from a health emergency or a disaster? We’d love to hear about it! Share your story in the comments.

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